Do you know Cumbria? The name of this English county bordering Scotland is not familiar to French ears, and yet… For the second year in a row, it has accumulated more stars than any other region in the Great Britain Michelin guide and Ireland, the last edition of which was celebrated on February 5 in Manchester. How did this rural area which has six times more sheep than inhabitants manage to supplant London?
Cumbria is certainly one of the least populated regions of England, but it has the largest national park, the Lake District, 2,280 square kilometers of lakes and mountains including the highest point in England, the Scafell Pike (978 meters ). With its deep valleys covered in heather, its banks protected by steep schist walls drowned in mist, the Lake District inspired a whole generation of romantic poets in the 19th century.e century. Two centuries later, it has become the kingdom of the hiker, but hiking means a stomach to fill and, therefore, a substantial culinary offering.
At the beginning of the 2000’s, local gastronomy was limited to hotel restaurants of French (classical) or Spanish (molecular) inspiration. The one who changed the situation is not a local. Born in 1967 in Southampton, Simon Rogan grew up facing the English Channel. If he chose, in 2002, to establish his first restaurant in Cartmel, in the Lake District, after having trained in establishments in his native region, it was because he fell under the spell of an old 13th century forgee century – he named his brand L’Enclume, in French in the text to make it chic. The beauty of the region seduces him, but also the slower pace of life: “I wanted to settle down somewhere where I could really take my time and focus on cooking”explains the chef.
Simon Rogan wants to develop a unique cuisine, but at first he fumbles, especially as he struggles to find ingredients that meet his requirements. Inspired by Nordic chefs such as René Redzepi, who start from the principle that even a poor terroir can be highlighted, Simon Rogan decides to produce what he needs himself. Taming nature in Cumbria is no easy task: around Cartmel, the soil is limestone, hard and dense, watered by liters of rain. At the time, the ambitious Rogan was the youngest chef in the region, and he announced his intention to focus on the vegetable garden; moreover, he does not have unlimited means, since he is self-employed. It has to work, and he’s working hard to make it happen. “This project required a lot of investment”admits the person concerned.
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